How to get a bigger house without moving

UK homeowners looking for a larger property but being put off by the prices or the turmoil in the market may consider making their own property bigger.

The Times recently featured the story of Julie Eveleigh from London who wanted to upgrade to a larger house.

In the end, Ms Eveleigh plumped for a loft conversion and is extremely pleased with the results.

"In our area, its a huge leap to move up to the next level, the five-bedroom houses, even if it were possible to move in the current market," she told the newspaper.

"Instead, weve bridged the gap and made ours into a five-bedder with the loft conversion.

"The builders were great. They said it would take five weeks to get it done and it took exactly that."

According to the paper, a properly-built loft extension with roof light can add anywhere between £20,000 and £50,000 to the value of the home.

The average price of a property has fallen by 17.2 per cent in the last year, brining it down to just £163,966, according to Halifax.